Soon, schools will be reopening for a new school year, and school safety will again be in the news.

Last spring, the secretary of Education, Betsy Devos, chaired a commission to investigate this problem. However, she announced that the role of guns in these incidents would not be on the agenda. This decision reflects the administration’s failure to see the problem properly. Gun violence is not a school safety issue; it is a public safety issue.

The fact is that while schools were not in session for the summer, gun violence still occurred at soft targets like malls, theaters and concerts. To cite only two examples, the people of Annapolis, Maryland, and Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, tragically know this to be true.

Reasonable gun measures can be taken in conjunction with other programs and additional mental health initiatives to attack this problem on multiple fronts. Many sports enthusiasts recognize this and agree that it is doable.

NRA spokespeople who describe scenarios of government agents coming to the doors of law-abiding gun owners and confiscating their weapons are engaging in a hyperbolic effort to scare Americans. All rights are subject to limits, including those afforded by the Second Amendment. And to suggest a snowball effect would result from laws expanding background checks or other modest measures ignores the reality of what is required to abolish the Second Amendment. Any such attempt requires first the approval of two-thirds of both houses of Congress, and then the ratification by three-fourths of the states. Is it feasible that these supermajorities can be reached in Washington? Does anyone really believe that 37 states would ratify such an amendment?

In the final analysis, the commission by DeVos was a reaction to the Parkland, Florida, shootings and a token response to the efforts of the Stoneman Douglas students keeping the issue in the news. Clearly, our schools should be safe places where our children can learn free from fear of being shot.

As a former public school teacher, I can state that we don’t want our schools to become fortresses. Similarly, arming teachers in not a good solution either. Most teachers want to focus on their students learning and not on keeping track of a weapon. There are numerous examples of teachers bravely protecting their students without introducing another gun into the equation. Investigating existing strategies that have worked is certainly worthwhile, but to ignore guns is simply illogical. The vast majority of violent attacks in schools involve guns.

However, these school attacks only reflect the larger problem. What is needed is a true investigation into gun violence as a national public safety issue. Such a probe could open the door to action. Congress can legislate reasonable measures that can reduce tragedies in the future.

Will these efforts stop all gun violence? Of course not. But if they stop just one, isn’t it worth it? The people of Annapolis would say yes. The residents of Cheltenham Township would agree. And the Parkland students recognize this as well. It’s a pity the NRA and gun extremists refuse to do the same.